Pacifica Land Trust: Restoration and Managed Retreat of Pacific State Beach

Home » Pacifica Land Trust: Restoration and Managed Retreat of Pacific State Beach

Despite the use of stabilizing structures, flooding of San Pedro Creek and coastal erosion at Pacifica/Linda Mar State Beach has been a recurring problem for the City of Pacifica. In the early 1990s, the city partnered with state and federal agencies, scientists, engineers, and non-profit organizations, including the California Coastal Conservancy and the Pacifica Land Trust, to restore wetlands and work toward a managed retreat strategy for Pacifica State Beach. The managed retreat strategy (i.e., the Pacifica State Beach Master Plan) called for the removal of vulnerable structures on the beach and the utilization of soft stabilization techniques to reduce flooding threats, preserve the beach, and improve steelhead habitat. Management actions aim to reduce flooding and erosion threats and restore habitat, which is likely to buffer the system against future climate-related changes such as sea level rise.